All too often this more recent wave of goth revival bands, forget to bring the rock side of the equation unless they were all in metal bands previously. This is not the case with this French band, which brings with them more of a Bauhaus vibe to this band. Things are dramatic, but they do not forget to rock out along the way. A tug of war begins to set in by the third as I wonder about being a slave to the sound of an era versus growing with where music is today. Vocally they are going in a more Sisters of Mercy direction on "Meat Wagon" With this they play in a manner that serves this sound, but I am beginning to wonder who they are outside of these influences. I can appreciate the vocals are layered going into "Out of the Dark" but the blind allegiance this holds to their influences is stifling to the full spectrum of their creativity.
So at this point, they are a tribute band to Bauhaus and Sisters of Mercy. I own all the albums by both of these bands, so what I am getting from these guys that makes investing my time in them worthwhile? This becomes the question that haunts me as I listen to "The Cremo". If you are at least reasonably familiar with the two artists that are being drawn from, you can directly hear what songs are being narrowed. Perhaps not intentionally. I mean I know some people who have a limited spectrum where there are like five artists they listen to and rotate their listening in a very limited spectrum. If they would make music there would not be more colors to draw from, the most original moment so far is on "The Dust" as it does not sound like a direct descendent of any one artist. I need more of this sort of thing from these guys.
"Doctor Death' finds them back in the safety of their musical comfort zone. The title track finds them slowing down to bask in a darker place. From there they tend to dance around their comfort zone. This does lend enough room to hear their more creative side prevail until "Walpurgis Night' ebbs down to a more brooding place until they switch gears and the smoke machine obscures the dance floor. I also like the last song as it relishes in grandiose ritualistic darkness that makes for the album's heaviest moment, though it is a captivating sound, not the catchiest song. This French band is good at what they do, I enjoy the sound they are paying homage to, so I will give this an 8.5, if you want old-school goth that does not mess with the traditional formula they have you covered.
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